Major Spoilers Ahead
Power Trip
THE MAGICIANS — “Do You Like Teeth?” Episode 306 — Pictured: Olivia Taylor Dudley as Alice — (Photo by: Eike Schroter/Syfy)
Last week, Julia learned her magic was a gift from Persephone, taken from her rapist son, and Julia’s attacker. Julia, feeling violated all over again, wants to transfer her power to Alice. The problem is they are unknowingly using a dangerous spell. After an entertaining exchange with an incubus (anyone else wonder why it took them so long to use the word “penis?”), they have what they need for the spell.
Penny watches nervously as the girls perform the transfer. He can’t help but feel a little left out of the story. Considering it has been TWO WHOLE episodes and nobody has made any attempt to bring him back to solid form, I can’t blame him. As Penny makes his goodbyes, Alice entices him to stick around to see if she can create a new body, like Professor Mayakovsky did for her (when did this happen? I must have blinked sometime in season 2). Alice flexes those old magic muscles, as Julia settles into her new non-magical lifestyle. Anyone else reminded of the Westworld opening credits while Alice is magically creating what looks like arm muscles?
Right when we feel fairly confident that the power transfer went as planned without consequence, they yank the proverbial rug. Reynard infiltrates Julia’s R&R time. She is able to wake up as if from a nightmare, but this encounter looks to be more than a one time thing. Could magic have been the only thing protecting her mind from this mental assault? As Julia recovers, Alice appears to have some kind of seizure. Was the body building spell too much for Alice too fast? Perhaps there is something special about Julia making her the only one capable of possessing this power?
Suicidal Tendencies
Quentin continues searching for the seven keys and enjoys every little boy’s dream as captain of the ship. Ever heard of famous last words? Quentin utters these perfect examples before passing into The Abyss, “being on a mission is a hell of an anti-depressant.” Hell of a thing to say before visiting a place of eternal darkness. Here we find Poppy (played by Felicia Day, who Supernatural fans will be excited to see back in action!), another member of Josh Hoberman’s ill-fated Brakebills class. She is suspiciously eager to hand over the key. We soon find out this key’s power personifies the darkest thoughts of the last person to touch it, driving them crazy until they kill themselves. Not a great key for Quentin who struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. Q swept the blues away playing pirate the last few days, but it doesn’t take long for dark-side Quentin to wear him down. When he is on the verge of jumping ship, Benedict pulls him back from the brink and ties him to the ship’s mast until they can return home.
It turns out Benedict has some inner demons of his own. When Poppy passes the key to him as she tries to make a door to Earth takes mere minutes for Benedict to jump from the ship … into the waiting jaws of a dragon. Poppy emerges from the bowels of the ship, presumably coming to from Benedict successfully knocking her out and taking the key. She’s too late to save Benedict, but right on time to help school Quentin in Dragon lore. Dragon’s don’t have your average digestive system, rather they are portals themselves. Although the smell of BBQ lingering on the Muntjac’s deck was pretty damning for Benedict’s fate, perhaps the key is not entirely irretrievable. I foresee another visit with a dragon in next week’s episode.
Depth and Character
Margo has yet to consummate her forced marriage to a fifteen year old, because it’s freaking wrong and gross! Although the Tribe of the Floating Mountain is a matriarchal society, they don’t have a problem with statutory rape. Yes, Fairy Queen, we know the prince is not a statue, thanks for playing! Margo tries her best to make the inexperienced prince less interested in sex. She bests out the old anatomy book, that I’m sure we all remember from Sex Ed, “who is ed?” wonders the prince. When describing the more natural processes of the female form doesn’t turn him off, she goes with the old Vagina Dentata folk tale. That’s something to sink your teeth into!
Under threats from the Fairy Queen, Eliot is forced to come up with a plan to get Margo to perform her wifely duties. He convinces the Fairy Queen that a honeymoon is just the thing to get Margo’s romantic fires blazing. Instead, he drugs the prince and uses their time away from the castle to brainstorm with Margo for a plan. On their journey, they stumble on the fairies’ big secret.
THE MAGICIANS — “Do You Like Teeth?” Episode 306 — Pictured: (l-r) Summer Bishil as Margo Hanson, Hale Appleman as Eliot Waugh — (Photo by: Eric Milner/Syfy)
They are terraforming! For you non-sciencey readers, they are transforming the eco-system of Fillory to make it more hospitable for fairy life. Now we know why the Fairy Queen has been occupying Margo’s bathtub for the better part of the season. Margo and Eliot come across some strange mushrooms (toadstools?) growing in the forest. Margo notices some strange movement, and pulls one to reveal an even bigger secret. The big bad fairies are planting little mushroom babies to grow a big bad fairy army! Margo quickly stashes away as many baby fairies as she can carry, finally getting them the leverage they need against the Fairy Queen.
Will plucking a few mushroom babies be enough to throw off the fairies’ plans? Maybe not, but I’m sure we’re about to see one pissed off Fairy Queen! I’m still curious how this fits into the Fairy Queen’s plans for Margo. She’s been grooming her for something all season, but what?
